When Love and Death Embrace
by dreamerINreality
Summary: She was his doctor. He was her patient. He had an experation date, but she didn't care. AU LP
1. Prologue: Breathe In, Breathe Out

_Disclaimer: Do not own._

**Prologue: Breath In, Breath Out**

Living in such a small city is something Peyton Sawyer had grown accustomed to. The years she spent growing up had prepared her for such a life. The city (if you can even call it that) about thirty miles north of Wilmington, named after its first mayor, Dildew, had become a place she once called home. Living with both her parents and as being an only child she'd definitely say her life was boring. She'd been a 3.9 GPA student, graduating with honors, but choosing to stay below the radar at school- only having a few really close friends.

A change of scenery was what she thought she needed once she turned eighteen deciding to move to New York City for college and medical school. There, she spent her next ten years for schooling and interning at different hospitals before she found her way back to North Carolina, where she bought her first house in the small town of Tree Hill.

She'd been able to get there a good week early to unpack before her first day at the hospital, and since it was still a good three days away, she's decided to get a full fridge before work takes away all her time.

Now, as she stands in line at the grocery store, pretending to read an article in "People" magazine, and is waiting for the guy in front of her to get his credit card working. She's been in line for about eight minutes, and even though she considers herself a patient woman, this is starting to get ridicules.

The man turns to her, once again apologizing for taking so long. "Let me just try one more…if- if it doesn't work…I'll- I'll leave." She just smiles at him, noticing his increase in paleness and sweat gathering on his forehead.

"It's fine. Just take your time." She noted his increase of breaths about two minutes ago and knows that his heart rate must be up. Stress, she figures.

For another thirty seconds her attention is drawn to an article about Angelina Jolie adopting another child. She sighs, closing the magazine before looking to her watch.

"Sir…Sir? Are you okay?" As if being in slow motion, Peyton glances up at the cashier noticing a look of bewilderment in her eyes just before it becomes one of horror. The man in front of her is on the ground before she could blink.

It takes a second for her to come out of shock, but when she does, her instincts kick in. Moving the cart out of the way, she makes her way to the man who is currently on his back. Getting on her knees, she leans her ear near his mouth to check for breathing. Nothing. "_Damnit_," she mutters. Placing her two fingers on his neck, she checks for a pulse. Nothing. "Call an ambulance, he's not breathing!" she shouts to the cashier, who quickly runs off in search of the phone.

Leaning down again, she breaths into him, watching his chest rise slightly. Placing her hands on his chest she begins doing reps. 1..2…3…4…up to 30. Her adrenalin is running overtime as she starts CPR again.

Noticing something hard on the bottom of her hand, she moves it and sees the indent of a necklace. Moving the piece from out of his shirt, she notices the medallion as something a diabetic patient would wear. Different symbol, but all the same. Flipping it over it reads "CHF". _Congestive Heart Failure._ Blinking back surprise at how young this man is for such a complex disease, she continues to do CPR until the paramedics arrive.

"Ma'am, we need you to get out of the way please, we'll take it from here." The paramedic shoos her hands away.

"He..He's not breathing, and there's no heartbeat. I think…He's got CHF." She wipes at the tears she didn't even know she shed.

The paramedic nods his head, taking out the defibrillator after checking for the nonexistent pulse, attaching paddles to the mans chest. "Clear." He calls before shocking him. Checking for a pulse again, he shakes his head. "Going again…Clear." The body jerks with movement.

Peyton can see the man take a little breath while the paramedic checks the pulse again. "Stabilized. Lets get him ready to move." Lifting the man onto the stretcher, Peyton sees the wallet on the floor. She picks it up, giving it to the paramedic. He nods his head before sticking it into his bag. "I'll make sure they get it to him."

"Thanks." While the other medic packs the bag, another one is putting an oxygen mask on the blond man.

"Hey, you saved his life you know." The paramedic says, adjusting the mask on the mans face before looking at Peyton. She blushes, and shrugs her shoulders. She can't seem to find her voice since her attention is drawn to the man on the stretcher.

Peyton goes a little closer, unconsciously gabbing his hand giving it a squeeze. Peyton studies his face for a moment, and it briefly flashes through her mind that he's attractive. His hair is untamed but in a controlled kind of way. It's rather short, but it seems rather easy to style. He's got about two days worth of shadow on his face that makes him look wiser, and his eyes…_wait…what_? Taking a breath in surprise, Peyton stares into the bluest eyes she's ever seen. His eyes blink once as his free hand (she still seems to be holding the other one…) tries to take off the mask. Peyton shockingly is able to find her voice, "No. You have to keep that on." Her voice is gentle and is one of concern, one she's only ever used the children at the hospital. He slowly puts down his hand, and gazes down at their fingers that are still intertwined. Lifting his eyes back to hers, he stares into her eyes for a moment, before his close.

Feeling his grip in her fingers begins to fade, and his breaths become more even, she lets him go. Not even two seconds later she watches as he's taken out the door and into the ambulance.

--

**What do you think? Continue?  
-xo dreamerINreality**


	2. Angels and Pinky Promises

_You guys are amazing! I didn't expect such a good response to this story. Chapters are going to start having more angst (like this one), expect emotional roller coasters, and twists/turns along the way. I don't know how often I'll be updating, but I'm gonna try to do it at least once a week. Thanks for the reviews :) –xo dreamerINreality_

_P.S. Had a snow day today (along with the entire northeast) and decided to post it today instead of Sunday. Enjoy!_

**Chapter 1: Angels and Pinky Promises**

"_911 what's your emergency?" the voice echoed through the phone and into your ear. This was it. It was time. Before you could stop them, the words flowed through your lips, almost robotically. _

"…_There's been a…a suicide." You have to close your eyes, just to stop the tears from escaping._

"_I have you at 9587 Bridge Street."_

_You shake your head, "Yes, that's correct." _

"_Who's the victim?"_

_Pressing fingers to your eyes, you take a deep breath. "I am."_

--

First year of residency, and her third year of being in a hospital setting. You'd think it get easier. _You'd think. _But it doesn't. It just gets harder, and she's expected it. Every surgery, every case was a lesson learned. Everything she ever did (including the eight years of college…believe it or not) helped her get to where she is now.

Peyton Sawyer has been looking forward for this day for so many years, she can hardly believe it's finally happening. She's a doctor, and a pretty good one if she does say so herself.

She's on a forty-eight hour shift right now at the Tree Hill County Hospital, and she thinks it's safe to say it's really quiet_, too_ quiet_._ But it never stays that way for long. "The quiet before the storm", is what her Chief Surgeon tells her. The surgery boards are practically empty except for some of the usual cases. She's starring at it now, and notices that she's not on call for anything. It's not unusual, that she's not in on any surgeries; at least that's what the Nurse in the cardio wing tells her. Linda's her name, she's the oldest nurse at the hospital, and says she's been here for twenty years.

Peyton finds it hard to believe at first, mostly because the woman doesn't look a day over fifty, but quickly changes her mind when she sees her interacting and caring for the patients. It's kinda like a mother would care for her children when they are sick, the passion in her eyes makes her heart swell. And she has to laugh a little at the memory of when Linda first introduced herself, giving her a hug, and reaching into her bag for a plate of fresh baked cookies. To say that she had a warm welcome was a bit of an understatement. She felt at home in the hospital. Out of all the (six…but whose counting…) hospitals she's interned at, this is where she felt like she belonged.

She doesn't know what drew her to this place…it could have been the pamphlets she looked at a few months ago, _North Carolinas Best Kept Secret_, or maybe it was the fact that she randomly pointed a finger on a map, and it just happened to land on Tree Hill. Maybe she chose it because it was named after a U2 song. Whatever it was, she thinks she made the right choice.

--

"_I dreamed of an angel when I died. She had blond hair and these amazing green eyes. Even with the lights behind her, I can still remember every aspect of her face. It was so pure, and so beautiful that it was enough to convince myself that I had died and gone to heaven. When I felt warmth on my hand, I had to look down to make sure it wasn't on fire. It didn't hurt, no. I felt safe. She was holding it, the angel. When I heard someone in the background saying that she'd saved me, I knew she was my guardian angel. And I knew from the look in her eyes, that she'd never let anything happen to me."-pg 16._

It's been one year since he's been on the waiting list. It's been three years since he was diagnosed. And it's been exactly nine minutes since he was told he was going to die in (give or take) one year if he doesn't have a heart transplant.

He's lived a pretty easy life (up until three years ago). A small town high school basketball coach and a published author, he was always financially stable- until the medical bills came flowing in. He's been trying to pay for his own and help pay for his sister too, but it hasn't worked out. He's currently at least one hundred thousand dollars in debt. He hasn't been able to go to work for the last year in a half, being in and out of the hospital and not having the energy to even get out of bed, the school had decided to let him go. The publishing company still has to honor their two-year contract but since he hasn't been able to write a word in a good two years, he's certain they're going to cut him too.

He doesn't blame them. He doesn't blame anyone for this. It's just bad luck.

In these past nine minutes since the doctor told him he was going to die, he's decided not to tell his mother, sister, or the rest of his family. He thinks it's better this way. He knows it's selfish, but he's doing what he thinks is best.

Putting his notebook to the side (he's been writing in it for a while now), he decides to get up to stretch.

Looking out the window from his bed and down into the courtyard, he can see his sister sitting on the bench facing the ocean. It's a beautiful view, and can make anyone feel better. He goes to open the window, but couldn't reach because the hose in his nose was holding him back. He switches nosepieces to one that's hooked up to an oxygen tank that's mobile (yes…. he has to wheel that damn thing around where ever he goes). It's a beautiful day, and knows it's going to be an even prettier sunset.

He looks at the clock- 6:30. It's too late for patients to be out, so he knows Linda must have given his sister a pass to be in the courtyard. She loves watching the sunset, and usually he'd be out there with her…but-

"Lucas, what are you doing out of bed?" Linda walks into the room with his chart. "You know you're supposed to be resting." She scolds him without looking up from the file folder in her hands.

"…Linda, can I get a pass for the courtyard?" He asks tensely, and puts a little pout into his facial expression. "I want to go see my sister." Linda gives him a pointed look. "Please?" He's twenty-nine and still uses the puppy dog eyes, the ones he knows she can't say no to.

She sighs dramatically, but smiles. "Fine. But you need to take that thing with you." She points the oxygen tank by his feet.

"Deal." Lucas' day just got a little better. They stand there looking at each other for a moment before Linda shakes her head with a smile.

"Well come on…I don't want to get caught, so you better move your little heart-attack-prone butt." The only thing that went through his mind was that he's glad he has someone that he can joke about his illness with.

--

"Dr. Sawyer," The chief walked up to her with a kind smile playing on his lips. Dr. William Montgomery was a tall man, with dark brown hair, and kind brown eyes. He hardly looked a day over thirty, and was considered one of the youngest chiefs ever to have worked at the hospital. He was clean-shaven and the smile on his lips was enough to make any women swoon. He was a very attractive man, Peyton was quick to notice, but was also well aware of the silver band on his left hand. "You settling in well?"

She smiled back at him, "Yeah. I think I'm gonna like it here." She wasn't lying. She had a good feeling about this place. "Seems like everyone knows everyone here. Like a family."

"It's small town, but people come from all around to get treatment here. We get a lot of patients, but hardly anyone from Tree Hill. You married Sawyer?" Peyton shakes her head, and holds up her bare left hand. "Ah, what a shame. Tree Hills also the best place to raise a family."

"I'll keep that in mind Dr. Montgomery."

"Call me Will. We're co-workers, we can go on a first name basis, don't you think?" He raised his eyebrow at her.

"Anything you say chief." Peyton shook her head, smiling all the while. He laughed a little and bumped his shoulder to hers.

"I like you Sawyer. You keep saying stuff like that, we're gonna get along just fine."

A voice stopped Peyton from a sarcastic remark that was on the edge of her tongue. "Oh, _please_ don't feed his ego. He has to much already and we don't need his head to be filled with anymore brash ideas." The petite brown-haired women set down the chart and sent a scowl at the chief before marching up to him and slapping him on his shoulder. Will responded with a wince and an "Ow", shrugging her off. "That was for not telling me about the new doctor." She turned to Peyton with a big smile. "Hi, I'm Brooke Davis, I work in Pediatrics." She stuck out her hand and Peyton shook it.

"Peyton Sawyer, Cardiology."

"Oh, I guess that means we'll be working pretty close to each other then." Brooke sent a smile her way, reaching behind the counter for another chart.

Peyton sent her a confused frown, "What do you mean."

Brooke looked between Will and Peyton. "You didn't tell her?" She put her hand on her hip and rolled her eyes at him. "Smooth Einstein." Turning Peyton around leading her down the hallway towards the children's center, she continued. "Better get used to being in the dark about new things. He likes to surprise people."

"I don't like surprises…"

"Well, I don't either. Especially his surprises." She stopped her. "So I'll let you in on his little secret….He's got this case that he's been working on for months. This guy is in the need of a heart transplant, but so far no donor. He's been in the hospital for almost the past three months, and he doesn't know how to proceed…. Okay, so he does, but he's no cardiologist."

Peyton getting the gist nodded her head, "Okay, so this is where I come in right?"

Brooke smiled, "Yeah. Exactly."

"Okay, so who is he?"

"Room 223. You gotta ask Linda for the details. She'll know more than I do-" Her beeper interrupted her, "Well, duty calls! Let me know when your taking dinner. I'll introduce you to a couple people."

Peyton watched her walk away without another word. "Okaaay." She turned back around, heading for room 223.

--

Wrapping the jacket tighter around his body, Lucas Scott made his way over to the bench sitting beside his sister. He pulled her closer, placing a delicate kiss atop her forehead.

"I was scared…" Lilly was looking out into the water and didn't bother looking up.

"Of what?" Lucas spoke delicately. He heard her take a breath, "When mom told me you were back here…. She said that you collapsed in the store." Burying her face into his jacket she murmured out, "I was scared I wouldn't see you again."

"You know I'll always be here with you, just like-"

"Like dad is. But he's really not Lucas." Lucas wiped a tear from her eye, as she looked up at Lucas. "He's not here to kiss my boo-boos better, and he's not here to wipe my tears away. He just _not here_….and if you die, I won't have someone to do those things."

Lucas sighed, "I'm not going anywhere Lil. Okay? As long as I can help it, I'll be here."

Lilly looked up to him, "You promise?" She watched as Lucas nodded, so she held out her pinky. "Pinky promise?"

He laughed, but hooked his pinky onto hers. "Pinky Promise."

--

"Hey Linda, where's the patient whose supposed to be in room 223?" Great. First day on the job, and she looses her patient.

"What's their name?"

"I don't know…I haven't gotten his chart yet." First, she looses her patient. Now she doesn't even know who she's looking for. This definitely screams professional.

"Room 223 right?" Peyton nods her head. Linda checks the computer, and smiles once the name pops up. "Lucas Scott, I thought so. Age 29. History of hypertension and previously diagnosed with Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy. Six months ago he was diagnosed with Congestive Heart Failure, and he's currently number six on the heart transplant list." She spins around in her chair to search in the filing cabinet, pulling his file out, handing it to Peyton. "You can't find him?"

"No, and I looked everywhere. The rec. room, the cafeteria, the washroom, the-"

"Peyton, it's ok. He couldn't have gone far…" She gets up to come around the desk, looking up and down the halls to see if anyone could hear them. "Did you check the courtyard?"

Peyton frowns confusingly. "I thought patients in the ICU weren't supposed to get passes for the courtyard…"

"They aren't. I gave him a pass so he could go see his sister. He's been here for almost a week, and hasn't gotten out of that bed. Some sun would do him good." She turned back to the nurse who just came around the corner. "Hey Kate, can you hold down the fort for about ten minutes? I need to show Dr. Sawyer around." Kate nodded her head, looking back down at the papers she had in her hand. "Come on, I'll introduce them to you."

"Them?"

"The Scott's tend to spend a lot of time in this hospital. It seems Karen's got a sick kid on each hip. Lily, she's the youngest, she's eleven, and she's got Leukemia. She's had it for years- poor thing. She's on standby for a new liver, and whenever someone finds a match, she'll be able to do Chemo again. But until then, she's stuck in this hospital." Linda holds the door open for Peyton as they make their way into the courtyard. "Lucas; now I've known that boy since he was eight and was diagnosed with HCM. Sweetest boy you'll ever meet, that's for sure." They stopped about 100 feet from two people on a bench.

"That family has taken a beating. Karen nearly works herself to death in that café she owns. Paying medical bills for one is hard enough, but two?" She blew out a breath. "I try to help her out anyway I can, but she's too proud. She's already refinanced her house twice." She pointed to the blond who was holding a little girl in his lap. "That's them. Whenever I can, I let them both come out here. Fresh air does wonders."

They stay there for a little while, just watching the sunset. "Just give them five more minutes to enjoy this. I'll go get Lilly's doctor to help her in. Lucas is your patient now, right?"

Her eyes broke away from the siblings, "Yeah, I guess so. The chief told me to get his chart and keep an eye on him."

--

"Mom's coming later, right?" The little girl looked away from the sunset up at her brother.

"Yeah. She said she'll meet us in the cafeteria for dinner…Why?" Lucas turned and put his arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer.

The girl looked down and sighed. "Lils, what's wrong. Usually you can't wait to see mom." He used his other hand to turn Lilly's cheek, lifting up her head so he could look into her eyes. "What's wrong?"

"I wanna go home. I don't like it here." Lucas smiles sadly at her. "They say you come here to get better, but all they do is make you feel worse. They give me shots that make my head and my tummy hurt. I don't like that feeling. I really don't Lukey." Lily closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. "Kinda like now." Lucas is still for a second, before grabbing a nearby bucket a nurse brought out for them and thrust it into Lilly's lap. It was just in time because the girl started vomiting violently. He began to whisper soothing words to her as he pulled back her hair, making sure to gently rub her back.

Once she was done, Lucas stood up and took the bucket, giving it to a nearby nurse who took it away. He looked down at Lily, searching his pockets for a piece of gum. He sat back down and handed the stick to her, receiving a mumbled 'thanks' in return. Lucas kissed her on the forehead and lifted her up so she was in his lap. "I'm sorry." Lily was starting to shiver, her teeth chattering.

"You have nothing to be sorry for." Lucas cuddled her closer, hoping to warm her up and stop the shudders. "If I could, I'd gladly take the pain from you. I know that doesn't mean anything…but I would."

"It means something." She laid her head on his shoulder. "Luke, can I ask you a question?"

"Mmhmm."

"Am I gonna die?" Lucas shifted uncomfortably, looking down at Lily.

"Why do you say that?" The first thing that _should have_ come to mind was to scold her for even thinking it. But then he'd be a hypocrite. He thinks of death all the time. Even more so now, if he's being completely honest.

"Because it feels like it sometimes. Sometimes…sometimes I wish I would die. Just so the pain would go away." She closes her eyes. "But then I think of you, and mom, Jamie, Haley, and Nathan. Then those thoughts go away."

"Lily, I know it may not seem like it now, but your going to grow up, get married, and have lots of babies. You need to keep looking forward to what you could have after you beat this." Lucas shifts so he could look into her eyes, "Do you trust me?" The little girl smiles softly and nods. "Then you will have nothing to worry about. Ok?"

He can feel the little girl nod into his chest, heaving a content sigh. "I love you Lukey." He smiles at the use of his nickname, one he would normally scold her for using in public.

"Love you too Lils." Giving her a kiss on the crown of her head, he listens as she slowly falls asleep.


End file.
